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Message |
    
Sheila Cox
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 5, 2000 - 11:43 am: |   |
A friend of mines horse was just received a first and second positive Coggins. This horse is 14, healthy, active and showing no clinical symptoms.
They are being urged to put him down. He is in quarantine at this point. But they love this horse and do not want to put him down. Yet, they are not sure what lifetime quarantine will do to him. Anyone experience this? What did you do?
Can a horse that tests positive, recover, and then test negative?
Also, what is the newest information concerning this disease and its transmission? I've read everything here I can.
Sad thing is.....they are finding out who their real friends are. As half are treating them as if THEY have the disease, and want to keep their distance. I guess fear can do this to people.
And, the wife has riding/training facility over 5 miles away in other barn. This horse does NOT go there. There is already one that heard about it, and is removing her horse even though all those horses in that barn are negative. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jun 6, 2000 - 6:05 am: | |
Sheila,
The article represents the latest information available on this disease. The Coggins test is extremely reliable and following two positives on an adult horse the chance of a mistake being made is very very small but never zero.
DrO |
Sheila Cox
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jun 6, 2000 - 11:19 am: | |
Thanks DrO.......We were in quite a shock yet, when I wrote that. I just need to confirm a few things to make sure I understand:
In the inapparent carrier horse, only one horse fly out of six million is likely to pick up and transmit the EIA virus from this horse to another?
Is it true that inapparent carriers have a lower concentration in their blood than horses with active clinical signs of the disease?
Horses that are acute have the highest concentration of the virus, horses that are chronic have a significant concentration of the virus, and horses that are inapparent have the lowest concentration of the virus?
Thank you so much! |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jun 7, 2000 - 8:05 am: | |
Hello Sheila:
ANswering your question in the order given:
In the inapparent carrier horse, only one horse fly out of six million is likely to pick up and transmit the EIA virus from this horse to
another?
1) No there is no such number. The inapparent carrier's contagiousness will vary from time to time as they go through unpredictable times of viremia.
2) Is it true that inapparent carriers have a lower concentration in their blood than horses with active clinical signs of the disease?
Yes
3) Horses that are acute have the highest concentration of the virus, horses that are chronic have a significant concentration of the
virus, and horses that are inapparent have the lowest concentration of the virus?
Yes
DrO |
Sheila Cox
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jun 7, 2000 - 12:20 pm: | |
Thank you DrO for answering my questions.
In researching this, I came across of place in Florida called, FRIENDS Ranch. It is a non profit, 47 acre quarantine ranch that has been in operation since 1987. It meets the guidelines of Floridas law for quarantine.
They currently have 43 horses. They allow various research groups to come and take blood samples in hopes that a vaccine will be found.
These horses never leave the property. They are however adopted, and being ridden by adults and children that could not afford a horse.
Just thought I would share this, as I have been in touch with these people, who are helping me search in our area for a ranch such as this.
Thanks again..... |
Jill V. Reed (Verlaj)
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jul 24, 2001 - 7:02 pm: | |
Just a note - the statement that only 1 in 6 million horseflies would be likely to transmit the EIA virus from an "inapparent carrier" horse is currently included on the APHIS website, which I read today.
Jill Reed |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM (Dro)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 25, 2001 - 7:45 am: | |
Hello Jill,
While that may be true it does not address the problem of the risk these horses present to their pasture mates. The problem is that inapparent carriers invariably become ill and viremic during their lives. During these periods there infectivity goes way up. Sometimes these happen as transient and short lived events and other times it becomes a terminal event for the horse.
DrO |
Suzanne Moore (Suzym)
| | Posted on Wednesday, Jul 25, 2001 - 11:58 am: | |
Hi, Sheila ~ Yes, I have been through this. My experience was almost exactly like yours - my apparently healthy horse was the only positive in a 50 horse boarding stable. I understand how traumatized you are  This happened to me in 1982, and I'm not over it yet. I quake with fear while awaiting the results of a Coggins on my present horse.
In my case, a friend of a friend had a remote cattle ranch which met the Texas quarantine requirements, and my horse was able to live out the rest of his life there. I hope and pray you will be able to find such a place in your area.
Please keep us posted!
Suzy |
Marilyn J. Boyd
New Member
Username: Mboyd
Post Number: 1
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, Feb 5, 2005 - 12:57 am: | |
There have been two positive Coggins tests within a 20 mile radius of my barn in the last three weeks. People are starting to get the tests done in anticipation of the show season. The two horses were at different barns and all the other horses tested negative.
My question is this, does this mean we have the disease in this area? Will it be safe to take my horse to the parks where we normally go riding or shoulld I avoid taking him off my property to minimize the risk of infection? |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 11984
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Saturday, Feb 5, 2005 - 8:26 am: | |
It depends Marilyn, what is the hisory of these 2 horses since their last negative Coggins test? For more on this see the article associated with this forum. It explains in detail how this is transmitted. You get to by clicking on the Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) and the Coggins Test link above.
DrO |
